Redemptioning

Every action has a reaction, law of the universe; it appears that not everyone understands this simple notion. If you do something, there will be inevitable consequences. Eating fast food makes you fat, drinking alcohol makes you do stupid things, and so on. We never truly think about what happens when we do something, however, when we mess up, when we utterly and without a doubt mess up royally, we reach for the heavens to redeem ourselves. It is funny how we only think about redemption when we do something “bad”. Did you ever do something meaningless but still hurt someone unintentionally and then just walked away without a second thought of what just happened? Without even a single drop of remorse?

We only try to atone for the “big” things. Religious people will preach that you need to atone for the original sin and other sins that you committed during your short life on Earth. Now hold on a your-soul-will-be-damned moment, I should only consider repentance if I broke one of the ten commandments? So what about kids pulling innocent pranks turning bad? What if I argue with someone and it turns out that I am wrong, should I apologize, should I feel bad or should I just stand my ground no matter what? That is a daily struggle for everyone, society does not teach us anymore what redemption should be. It is not only a deliverance of our sinful souls, it is not only to feel remorse when you murder people, it is about simple things too. Yelling at someone because you had a bad day, snapping at people because you are so full of stress that you could ignite a small fusion reactor, why is all of that acceptable behavior? I genuinely feel bad when I am reading a book and wish for a character’s demise; deep inside me I still say I am sorry.

The concept of right and wrong has been bent and the notion ‘the means justify the ends’ has been instilled in each and every one of us. The problem is rooted deep inside of us. Criticizing how one behaves is extremely easy when you are and outside observer; we do not know that person and we cannot even fathom what that person went through. Yet, we still think that we are above everyone else, that our actions are justified and that no matter what we do in life, we will get away with anything. Come danger or a dire situation, we would sell our souls to the first winged esoteric being and even renounce our own mothers. A man not at peace with his demons is no man, just a frail shell of broken dreams and empty aspirations.

Redemption, sounds heavy but in reality it is so easy to carry out. Saying you are sorry to end a fight, replacing something you accidentally broke or even offering help with nothing expected in return. Simple acts of kindness will not only brighten someone’s day but it will also leave that sweet savory taste of victory. We have been taught to be fighters and to carry a mask of strength, not to show weakness; but in the process they forgot to tell us that regretting is the first step of learning from your mistakes. The path of redemption is paved with tears, sweat and what may seem at first as loss of face, but in reality it shows great character and real strength.

Ultimately, redeeming is not just about doing the right thing, it is more than that; it is the first and most important stepping stone in improving yourself as a conscious being.